Back at home, Yunshu continued his duties as the perfect house husband. He even brushed Hongtang's incredibly fluffy fur and ended up collecting a massive pile of shed hair.
Later, Aunt Chen, the cleaning lady, handed him several bottles she had found hidden in Baitang's room. They contained sleeping pills, sedatives and other medications that the omega had been secretly taking. The discovery made Yunshu furious — not because she had searched through Baitang's belongings, but because she had reported it to him instead of speaking privately with Baitang. In Aunt Chen's eyes, the husband was the head of the household, and the omega's role was simply to obey.
Her outdated mindset worried Yunshu, because Baitang treated her so kindly and sincerely. He feared that one day she might unintentionally hurt him. As a result, Aunt Chen could no longer remain in the house.
Yunshu immediately contacted Professor Shu to ask whether he had prescribed those medications. The doctor denied it. Knowing the drugs could be harmful, he would never have recommended them. To prevent withdrawal symptoms, Yunshu and Professor Shu came up with a plan. They would gradually replace the medication with vitamins under medical supervision. Professor Shu, however, was astonished. He couldn't understand how Jang Yunsu suddenly knew so much about pharmaceuticals.
On the way home, Baitang told Yunshu that he didn't need to pick him up from school every day. Although it had been his first day back, Yunshu could tell that he wasn't happy. He tried to lighten the mood by asking about his day and joking about how different Hongtang looked after losing so much fur. None of it worked. The atmosphere remained awkward and tense.
Later that evening, Baitang felt disappointed. Jang Yunsu was still Jang Yunsu. Nothing had truly changed.
Then little Hongtang brought him a letter from the alpha. The note explained that Aunt Chen had left a cake behind before returning to the countryside, and would no longer be working for them. The letter ended with a simple message. He hoped Baitang would go to bed early, and if he needed anything, he could find him in the study.
Not long afterward, Professor Shu called Baitang and invited him to a book fair that weekend. The invitation thrilled him. However, his excitement quickly faded when he remembered that Yunshu would probably never allow him to go. Professor Shu was prepared to ask the alpha himself, and if Yunshu refused, he joked that his own partner, Dr. Kim Shon, could give him a good beating.
Still, Baitang decided he would ask personally. The current alpha seemed different, and perhaps that was a good sign.
When he entered the study, he discovered Yunshu surrounded by documents. To his surprise, they were legal materials about protecting omegas and proposals advocating for greater respect for their reproductive rights. Seeing those documents, Baitang initially assumed that Yunshu was preparing to fight against the people proposing those laws. After all, when he had lived with the old Yunsu, he had once seen documents showing that the alpha supported and funded organizations that wanted to shut down Fanqi Academy.
Feeling slightly reassured, Baitang told him that Professor Shu had invited him to a book fair that weekend. Contrary to what he expected, Yunshu immediately called the professor. Concerned for his omega's safety, he offered to arrange bodyguards to accompany them during the outing. However, since Professor Shu's secretary and assistant were both alphas, Yunshu concluded that there was no real danger. They could simply relax and enjoy the weekend.
Baitang was so grateful and happy that he immediately began thinking about what outfit he should wear to a literary event. He was so excited about the trip that he didn't even realize his pheromones were becoming unstable. It seemed that his heat cycle might be approaching.
That worried him. The doctor had previously told him that his scent glands were damaged, which meant he shouldn't have been entering a heat cycle so soon. More importantly, Jang Yunshu was sleeping in the room next door. Not wanting him to notice anything, Baitang secretly injected himself with suppressants.
Later that night, a sweet fragrance spread throughout the house while Baitang worked in the kitchen. Since Yunshu had been working hard lately, he prepared a glass of milk for him. When Yunshu noticed how exhausted and unhealthy Baitang looked, he gently reminded him that if anything ever bothered him, he could come to him for help. He promised once again that he would never hurt him.
Unfortunately, those words only brought back painful memories. The old Yunsu had often spoken kindly before hurting him, making it difficult for Baitang to trust the new alpha's promises.
The next day at school, Ruan became worried the moment he saw his best friend. Baitang looked terrible. Assuming that the cockroach alpha had hurt him again, Ruan immediately tried to examine him. Panicking, Baitang rushed into the restroom instead. Once inside, he hurriedly injected himself with more suppressants.
Outside the bathroom, Ruan kept knocking on the door over and over, growing increasingly concerned for his friend's condition. Ruan quickly realized that Baitang was entering his heat cycle. When the bathroom stall finally opened, he was horrified to discover that Baitang had injected himself with so many suppressants that it could have killed him. Before losing consciousness, Baitang desperately begged him not to call that cockroach, Jang Yunsu.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, the staff were searching for Dr. Gu to treat an omega in heat. Since he was unavailable, Dr. Lin volunteered to handle the situation instead. A nurse urged Ruan to contact the omega's spouse, but he firmly refused. He didn't want Yunsu anywhere near his friend.
After hearing the name, Dr. Lin stepped in. Given Baitang's condition, administering more suppressants was no longer an option. The only safe solution was for his alpha partner to provide a temporary mark and stabilize him. Principal Shai, who was present, agreed with the doctor's assessment and supported contacting Yunshu. Even so, Ruan strongly objected. He couldn't bear the thought of his friend being hurt again by that despicable alpha. Dr. Lin, however, ignored his protests. Right now, Baitang's safety came first, and calling his alpha was the only viable option.
Back at home, Yunshu woke up after sleeping for more than thirteen straight hours. He quickly realized that the glass of milk Baitang had given him the previous night had been laced with sleeping pills. Just then, he received a call from Dr. Lin, who informed him of the serious condition his omega was in.
Yunshu immediately rushed to the Imperial Hospital. In less than ten minutes he arrived, wearing nothing more than slippers, having rushed out as fast as possible. Before allowing him near Baitang, the doctors injected him with suppressants to ensure he wouldn't lose control under the influence of the omega's pheromones. His task was simple. Release calming pheromones, ease Baitang's suffering, and apply a temporary mark.
Outside the room, Ruan remained anxious, worried that Yunshu might hurt his friend. Dr. Lin reassured him that the room contained pheromone detectors. If anything unusual happened, the staff would know immediately. The hospital, he bluntly stated, was not as incompetent as Ruan seemed to think. His words were so direct that another doctor had to stop him from causing more trouble. Meanwhile, Ruan sprayed himself with a scent-neutralizing product after touching Baitang. Seeing this irritated Dr. Lin, who interpreted it as Ruan treating him as if he were dirty.
Inside the room, a sweet scent filled the air while Baitang suffered through intense discomfort. As Yunshu prepared to help him, the half-conscious omega suddenly leaned forward and kissed him, unintentionally stealing the first kiss Yunshu had preserved for twenty-nine years.
Yunshu immediately tried to calm himself. This was not the time to take advantage of Baitang's vulnerable state. His priority was helping him safely, especially since Baitang's scent glands were still damaged.
A while later, after applying the temporary mark, Yunshu was scolded for his awkward technique. Still slightly dazed, Baitang watched the scene and could hardly believe that someone was actually lecturing Jang Yunsu.